Monday, February 11, 2013
Sci Fi
Science fiction is not a genre that I typically watch so I think it is safe to say my opinions and preconceptions of it are just as stereotypical as most peoples. When I think of science fiction, I immediately think of either the future, space, or fantasy. I don't want to look much more into the genre right now because I think it will be interesting to come back to this post and see how my opinion of the genre changes after the unit. Obviously for a film to be sci fi it has to be a fictional story, and often times the fictional elements of the story are also what contribute to the "science" part of the film, the advanced technologies and characters, or futuristic settings. I do agree with James E. Gunn that science fiction most often uses the unusual settings and stories to provide some type of commentary on real world issues and problems, these problems usually revolving around technology and technological change. Other than that, I really know nothing about this genre and hope by the end it becomes a genre I am more excited about.
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What's the last sci fi film you watched, Evan. What "real world" issue did it comment on? Test your ideas a bit! (Sounds like a good one but you won't know if you don't apply it to something.)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you in that when I think of science fiction, I also think of space and aliens and the like. I think that science fiction is a way of conveying the thought that there is life out there besides us, things that we cannot even begin to explain. Sci fi is an author, screenwriter, or producer's way of beginning to explain the inexplicable. However, I also do not know very much about science fiction, so I am hoping as well that I gain an interest in it by the end of this unit.
ReplyDeleteI reall like Gunn's definition of Sci-Fi as the alluding to present day issues during the time of release of the films or books. However I think you must have watched at least some of the more popular Sci-Fi films, if not Star Wars or Star Trek, something!
ReplyDeleteWe're definitely on the same page when we first think of the Sci-Fi genre, it's not something I'd typically watch. But I like your input on Gunn's definition. It's usually very unusual settings, but they are commentaries on real world situations in a lot of cases. Hopefully we'll understand more about this genre after watching these films.
ReplyDeleteI agree with James E. Gunn's definition that Science Fiction comments on real world issues of the time period. We have seen this is the case in films we saw in class, such as "The Day the Earth Stood Still". When this movie was made, the Cold War was going on, and this film deals mentions how the nations are constantly fighting each other, so much so that it is worrying those on other planets. While this is not the defining factor of a Sci-Fi film, it is definitely something that is present in a lot of the films.
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